Baseball mask



Man. 20,1923. 11 449 16 JLE.JOHNSTONE BASEBALL MASK Filed July 25, 1

iNVENTOR Y.,- a P WMQM -ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 243,

unmet TATEZS taaiaa EAECIEF: JQEHETQNE, 01'? NEWAI EK, NE W JERSEY.

aasananr.

application filled July 23,

' construction than those heretofore available.

The conventional mask depends for its protective features on amultiplicity of wires interlaced and'arraifged in a complicated manner.These wires must be so interwoven as to furnish ample protection for thefrontal features of the wearer and at the same time provide ample areasso that the vision will be unimpaired. lln order to withstand the severeblows of a-base-ball, it is neces sary to use very heavy wire and tojoin the intersections very securely and likewise to use certainreinforcing elements. As a' result, the conventional vizor is muchheavier than its appearance-indicates and it admits of being graduallyinjured and rendered ultimately unserviceable by the successive impactsof the base-ball.

This invention contemplates the elimination of wires and of theirseparate pieces connected in various ways, byv rendering available aone-piece integral vizor in the nature of a thin shell of very lightweight yet malleable metal of a nature capable of being formed by asingle castin operation; thereby reducing the cost an creating a moreserviceable and more desirable vizor.

Other objects and advantages will be in part indicated in the followingdescription and in part rendered apparent therefrom in connection withthe annexed drawings. I

enable others skilled in the art so fully to apprehend the underlyingfeatures hereof that they may embody the same in the various wayscontemplated by this invention,

drawings depicting a preferred ty )ical construction have been annexedas part of this disclosure. I p v the drawings show in perspective abaseball mask embodying a vizor characteristic of this invention. I

Referring to the drawings, A denotes the vizor which is in the shape ofa semi-ellipsoidal shell which is comparatively thin and which is madeby a casting-operation of a suitable light-weight alloy of a non-brittle1923K. Serial H0. 487,063.

character. This shell is formed with sidewings B and C extendingoutwardly and rearwardly so'as to clear the ears of the user; theseear-guards being of suitable length and breadth to shield the ears andto deflect a base-ball so that the user may not be injured. Extendingdownwardly from the crown D of the vizor is a frontal or forehead-guardE which meets a transversely arched foreheadguard F; the lowermostmargin G of which lies approximately in the plane of the eyebrows so asnot to obstruct the vision of the player. The crown or brow portion ofthe vizor above the marginal edge G is provided with suitableventilating ports H and J which may be iven any shape desired and whichmay be located accordingly in va rious ways. t

The bridge-piece Kextends transversely across the face of the vizor inapproximately the plane of the nose so as to form a noseuard. This stripis preferably so dimensioncd and distanced from the brow-edge e as toprovide falarge substantiallyrectangular opening L affording a wide andunobstructed vision for the wearer; the height of this opening beingpreferably about a half-inch or'so less than the diameter of a base-ballso that it. will be impomible for any base-ball to enter said openingsufficiently to injure the user.

The lower mouth and chin portions of the vizor are preferablyalsoventilated in any suitable manner. F or example, a large opening Mmay be provided immediately below the nose-bridge K and, in theinterests of lightness and to permit free-spitting, may be made of ampleproportions. Likewise a suitably shaped opening or series of openings Nwill be arranged in the chin-protecting ptfition of the vizor forpurposes of ventilation. Preferably also, the lower edge of the vizorwill be inturned as represented by P so as to form a guard to protectthe chin against rip-bounding balls.

F or the sake of comfort and to protect the user against transmittedshocks, the edge of the vizor will be interiorly protected by a suitablemarginal pad indicated by Q. This pad may be secured in place by wiresor thongspassing through small aperturesl, 2, 3, etc., drilled throughthe margins of the vizor atv suitable points.

The mask is held in place by means of a suitable harness consisting of aback-strap R and a riser S; the riser being attached to the vizorthrough a slot a in its crown, and the ends of the back-strap beingattached to similar slots 1) in the ear-guards.

It will be seen that this invention is well adapted to achieve the aboveenumerated objects and advantages and it may also be observed that ithas the very pronounced ad vantage of appreciably reducing the extent towhich base-balls are injured by coming in contact with masks. Wirevizors present comparatively thin edges and also numerous smallprojections which have a tendency to cut the jacket of the ball. whereasthe presentvizor presents comparatively few edges and it 1 presentschiefly we'll-rounded and unbroken surfaces which can occasion no injurywhatsoever to the ball. It has been found by experience that a vizormade in the manner disclosed is very materially lighter than a vizor ofcorresponding size and strength made in the conventional manner.

\Vithout further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gistof this invention that others can, by applying current knowledge,readily .adapt it for various utilizations by retaining one or more ofthe essential characteristics of either the generic or specific aspectsof this invention, and, therefore, such adaptations should be, and areintended to be, comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalencyof the following claims Having thus revealed this invention, I claimasnew and desire to secure the following combinations and elements, orequivalents thereof, by Letters Patent of the United States 1. A vi'zorfor base-ball masks compriswardly-bulged bars arranged in paralleisin toform an enlarged eye-sl1textend1ng with out obstruction from one side tothe other side of the mask and isolated ventilating portslocated aboveand below said eye-slit;

2. A base-ball mask combining a one-piece integral vizor having a crownand rearwardly-extending ear-wings and a chin guard and twowidely-separated narrow elongated outwardlybulged bars extending inparallelism to form with said chimguard two isolated elongated aperturesext iding horizontally across the face of the mask without interruptionfor the mouth and eyes; a marginal pad; and a retaining harness attachedto the crown and the earwings.

3. A one-piece integral vizor for base-ball masks having its crownapertured for ventilation and having an enlarged faceopening sub-dividedonly by a single narrow transverse nose-protecting bridge extending horizontally to provide a substantially unobstructed vision to the wearer.

4. A base-ball mask comprising a onepiece integral vizor in the natureof a rneta lic shell having a single narrow transverse nose-arch devoidof vertical extensions, vizor providing rearwardly and outw; extendingear-guards and an inturnedv chingua-rd, the brow-portion and chin-piecehaving ventilating apertures; a marginal pad; and a retaining-harnesssecured to the brow and the ear-guards of said vizor.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name, as attested by the twosubscribing witnesses.

JAMES E. JOHNSTUNEQ \Vltnesses:

IIARRY SILVERSTEIN, MINNA STRAUCK.

